MODULE

Local knowledge and agriculture in Java, Indonesia

SYNOPSIS

This module is about local agricultural knowledge practiced in rice paddy farming system and on how the knowledge is constructed and disseminated among farmers in Central Java and Jogjakarta. The information and knowledge presented here were obtained from anthropological approach field observations based on semi-structured interviews with ing rice paddy farmers. The local agricultural knowledge has been practice in the different places for generations of farmers. Animals and plants or their parts were used in soil management, pest control, and fertilizers. The inter-generational and peer group transfers of local agricultural knowledge were performed by rice farmers, however the risk of extinction is still faced by these local knowledge. The transfer and acquisition of local knowledge is not necessarily accompanied with its actual practice. Certainly for this reason, this module is developed as a means of local knowledge preservation.

OBJECTIVES

To document, preserve and disseminate local knowledge practiced in rice paddy farming system in Central Java and Jogjakarta

CONTENT

What is all about?

Local knowledge on land and cultivation practices, cropping patterns, and the rituals associated with farming activities in the farming community.

Where is it collected from?

Primary rice producing areas in Central Java and Jogjakarta Provinces, Indonesia:

14 regencies Batang, Boyolali, Delanggu, Demak, Jepara, Klaten, Kudus, Pemalang, Salatiga, Semarang, Temanggung, Weleri, Bantul and Sleman.

Why is the knowledge important?

Rice farming has been an indispensible part of Javanese culture which is not only considered as an activity to produce main staple food, but also as a spiritual relationship between human and the mother nature, i.e. sun, land, water and plant.

What is the available knowledge?

The use of specific animals and plants or their parts in rice cultivationPranata mangsa, a traditional agriculture calendar system Rituals during rice planting and harvesting Rrituals honouring the spirits of ancestors and Dewi Sri, the rice goddess

How does the knowledge work?

Most rice paddy farmers in Central Java and Jogjakarta knew and some of them still practice the use of • domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) for tilling rice fields• freshwater crab (Parathelphusa convexa) for controlling slender rice

bug (Leptocorisa oratorius)• barn owl (Tyto alba) for controlling rodents, sorghum (sorghum spp.)

for attracting munias (Lonchura spp.)• salak (Salacca zalacca) leaves for protecting rice paddy from rice

tungro bacilliform virus• rice straw for preventing birds and rodents from eating seeds from

the seedbed• jengkol dogfruit beans (Archidendron pauciflorum) or yam (Dioscorea

sp.) tuber as rodents repellants• fermented extracts of yam tuber, rizhome of pink and blue ginger

(Curcuma aeruginosa), root of bratawali (Tinospora crispa), and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) for controlling rice bug (Leptocorisa oratorius)

• scarecrows and noise makers for scaring birdsSome rice paddy farmers also still use pranata mangsa, a traditional agriculture calendar system found in Java, a source of guidance for the management and conservation of land and water environments. Interestingly, these pranata mangsa and other local agricultural knowledge are still be referenced by farmers who always depend on rainfall condition for their crops.

Some rice paddy farmers still performed some rituals during planting (called tedhun) and harvesting (called wiwitan) rice paddy. Farmers still believe in seen and unseen powers, they believe that if the ritual is not perfomed, the pest will come, the damage of the rice field will be worse. For that reason, we found a rice paddy farmer in Jogjakarta who does not dare to kill rodents as he believed that rodents representing unseen power.Some farmers perfom rituals honouring the spirits of ancestors and Dewi Sri, the rice goddess by putting offerings in the rice paddy field, or directed to their God. The food is usually prepared using plated-dish of banana leaf in the rice fields to cultivate. Food could consisted of few handfuls of rice, cilli, onion, bananas, and cigarettes.

POSTSCRIPT

We also discovered that rice paddy farmers did not know how the local agricultural knowledge was constructed, they only received it from their ancestors. Some farmers thought it was constructed by “trial and error” experiment. These rice paddy farmers also transferred their local agricultural knowledge to others and to their children. Unfortunately, there were very few younger rice paddy farmers in Central Java and Jogjakarta and they do not apply this local agricultural knowledge anymore. Younger generation prefer doing other jobs than becomes a rice paddy farmer. When these younger farmers present, they use modern farming system (use machine for tilling soils, chemicals and fertilizers) and they treat land as a money machine because most of them are not the owner of this land anymore but only a labor.

CONTENT MATERIAL

Dr. Rully Adi Nugroho & co-workers, Faculty of Biology, Satya Wacana Christian University, Jl. Diponegoro 52-60, Salatiga 50711-INDONESIA , e-mail: rully.adinugroho@staff.uksw.edu

E-MODULE EDITOR

Prof. Dr. Y. Budi Widianarko, University Network for Digital Knowledge (UNDK)Soegijapranata Catholic University (SCU), Jl. Pawiyatan Luhur IV/1, Semarang 50234 – INDONESIA, email: widianarko@unika.ac.id

1. Name of institution submitting the report

Faculty of Biology, Satya Wacana Christian University

2. Institution’s academic period during which the project was implemented

2013-2014

3. Project title

Local knowledge and agriculture in Java, Indonesia

4. Abstract of the report

Farmers have been developing agricultural systems, domesticating animals, breeding new crop varieties and constructing irrigation systems throughout the centuries without the aid of formalized scientific approaches and agricultural extension systems. The purposes of this study were (1) to document local agricultural knowledge on rice paddy farming system in Central Java and Jogjakarta, and (2) to understand how local agricultural knowledge is constructed and disseminated among farmers in Central Java and Jogjakarta. We used field observations, an anthropological approach based on semi-structured interviewing rice paddy farmers, and participating in rice paddy agricultural practices to answer these purposes. The project findings showed that there was local agricultural knowledge that has been practice in the different places for generations. Animals and plants or their parts were used in soil management, pest control, and fertilizers. Rice paddy farmers transferred their local agricultural knowledge to others and their children. Very few young rice paddy farmers in Central Java and Jogjakarta knew local agricultural knowledge but they do not practice it anymore. They prefer use modern farming systems. This local agricultural knowledge need more attention since it is at risk of becoming extinct due to rapidly changing natural environments and fast pacing economic and cultural changes on a global scale.

5. Contact person and information

Dr. Rully Adi Nugroho, Faculty of Biology, Satya Wacana Christian University, Jl. Diponegoro 52-60, Salatiga 50711, telephone: +62 298 321212, fax: +62 298 321433, e-mail: rully.adinugroho@staff.uksw.edu

6. Description of Project (Activities and participants, including problems encountered and solutions attempted)

In this project we explored the links between agriculture and local knowledge. Considering three notes given by the reviewer, we focus only on local knowledge practices in rice paddy agriculture in Central Java and Jogjakarta, Indonesia. We used field observations, an anthropological approach based on semi-structured interviewing rice paddy farmers, and participating in rice paddy agricultural practices as we planned before. Group and individual interviews were held for men, for women, and for younger men in difference to village social structure. The separate interviews allowed us to study differences in knowledge by gender and age, and the inter-generational transfer of knowledge. The data explored including land and agricultural management practices, cropping patterns, and the rituals associated with farming activities in the farming community. Interviews were conducted with different individuals until no new information on major topics was gained. Interviews were audio-visual recorded with permission readily granted after we explained that we wanted to remember what the farmers were teaching us without taking more of their time to write it down. We extended the number of study area from four areas in Central Java into twelve areas in Central Java (Batang, Boyolali, Delanggu, Demak, Jepara, Klaten, Kudus, Pemalang, Salatiga, Semarang, Temanggung, and Weleri) and two areas in Jogjakarta (Bantul and Sleman). These areas were chosen because they are classified as rice paddy production center. Two areas in Jogjakarta were added as we would like to know if the presence of Jogjakarta palace and its culture will affect farming activity, and hope that traditional values still attached to their farming activity. Here, 12

students from the course Ecology and Environment involved under supervision from 3 lecturers. They were divided into 4 groups and stayed 1-2 night with rice paddy farmers. There were no significant problems we face, except finding farmers who were still practicing their local agricultural knowledge.

7. Project outcome in relation to goals and objectives:

7.1. Extent to which goals and objectives were achieved, including qualitative and quantitative evaluations.

This project was conducted (1) to document local agricultural knowledge on rice paddy farming system in Central Java and Jogjakarta, and (2) to understand how local agricultural knowledge is constructed and disseminated among farmers in Central Java and Jogjakarta.

In general, modernization of agricultural practices has occurred in Central Java and Jogjakarta. Therefore, to achieve our purpose we documented local agricultural knowledge from selected cases (casuistic), where rice paddy farmers knew and still practice it. Our findings showed that local agricultural knowledge were relatively similar between 14 areas we observed. Most rice paddy farmers in Central Java and Jogjakarta knew and some of them still practice the local agricultural knowledge, for examples farmers using domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) for tilling rice fields, freshwater crab (Parathelphusa convexa) for controlling slender rice bug (Leptocorisa oratorius), barn owl (Tyto alba) for controlling rodents, sorghum (sorghum spp.) for attracting munias (Lonchura spp.), salak (Salacca zalacca) leaves for protecting rice paddy from rice tungro bacilliform virus, straw for preventing birds and rodents from eating seeds from the seedbed, jengkol/dogfruit beans (Archidendron pauciflorum) or yam (Dioscorea sp.) tuber as rodents repellants, and fermented extracts of yam tuber, rizhome of pink and blue ginger (Curcuma aeruginosa), root of bratawali (Tinospora crispa), and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) for controlling rice bug (Leptocorisa oratorius), and scarecrows and

noise makers for scaring birds. Some rice paddy farmers also still use pranata mangsa, a traditional agriculture calendar system found in Java, a source of guidance for the management and conservation of land and water environments. Interestingly, these pranata mangsa and other local agricultural knowledge are still be referenced by farmers who always depend on rainfall condition for their crops.

Some rice paddy farmers still performed some rituals during planting (called tedhun) and harvesting (called wiwitan) rice paddy. Farmers still believe in seen and unseen powers, they believe that if the ritual is not perfomed, the pest will come, the damage of the rice field will be worse. For that reason, we found a rice paddy farmer in Jogjakarta who does not dare to kill rodents as he believed that rodents representing unseen power. Some farmers perfom rituals honouring the spirits of ancestors and Dewi Sri, the rice goddess by putting offerings in the rice paddy field, or directed to their God. The food is usually prepared using plated-dish of banana leaf in the rice fields to cultivate. Food could consisted of few handfuls of rice, cilli, onion, bananas, and cigarettes.

We also discovered that rice paddy farmers did not know how the local agricultural knowledge was constructed, they only received it from their ancestors. Some farmers thought it was constructed by “trial and error” experiment. These rice paddy farmers also transferred their local agricultural knowledge to others and to their children. Unfortunately, there were very few younger rice paddy farmers in Central Java and Jogjakarta and they do not apply this local agricultural knowledge anymore. Younger generation prefer doing other jobs than becomes a rice paddy farmer. When these younger farmers present, they use modern farming system (use machine for tilling soils, chemicals and fertilizers) and they treat land as a money machine because most of them are not the owner of this land anymore but only a labor.

7.2 If goals and objectives were not achieved, explain what happened, how the situation was handled, and what is the next action.

All goals and objectives were achieved as mentioned above.

8. Overall impact of the project and future implications:

8.1 How it articulated whole person education, informed or enhanced teaching and learning; evidence of interconnectedness of themes.

Process of studying this issue, methodology, and data we gathered could be used for teaching and learning activities in our courses such as Ecology and Environment, and Ecotoxicology. Rice paddy farmers have a lot of local agricultural knowledge, but most of them are still not documented well. Although some of them have no scientific explanation yet, but it is likely that local agricultural knowledge is environmentally and human friendly. Why modern people do prefer organic farming now could be the result of this view.

There are some ideas for further studies, for examples analysis of organic compounds in animals and plants or their parts use for biopesticides, comparative study between buffalo and tilling machine on soil chemicals, soil microbial composition and activity, and rice production, effect of synthetics chemicals on soil microbial composition and activity, and integrated pest management. Our students will do their research to answer some questions after joining this project. We realized that this local agricultural knowledge need more attention since it is at risk of becoming extinct due to rapidly changing natural environments and fast pacing economic and cultural changes on a global scale.

8.2 Partnerships/networks established – within and outside the institution.

There was no partnerships/networks established yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sumMN7NGtdY